Eyewitness Account
by onthewayside
Summary: Everyone sees things a little differently. One mission gone awry told from different perspectives. Sort of a Team fic with ShepWeir overtones.


**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and its characters are not mine to keep, but I do like to play with them occasionally.

**Rating:** K+ for suggestive themes.

**Spoilers:** None, unless you count the fact that Lorne's official first name is now Evan…

**A/N:** I thought my muse for fic writing had died a painful death, but apparently I was wrong. This fic is simply something fun and fluffy and shouldn't be taken too seriously. As always, feedback is appreciated!

- - -

**Eyewitness Account**

- - -

_**Mission Directive: **__Enlistment of Allies_

_**Planet:**__ MX3 2Q9_

_**Report Submitted by**__: Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard_

_**Directed to**__: General Hank Landry - Stargate Command_

_The purpose of our mission to MX3 2Q9 was simple enough: to recruit new, friendly allies who would be willing to lend a helping hand if the occasion called for it. Thanks to our recent problems with the Wraith, Dr. Weir had decided that such a mission was a worthwhile goal and had picked our resident aliens' brains for potential recruits. Teyla had heard of this particular planet and of their locals, who were known as the Illese. Although she hadn't traded with them personally, she had heard that they were a peaceful people who also had an abundant source of food. Ronon, though not included in this particular mission due to other duties, had also confirmed Teyla's information. We were left to conclude that it would be worth the manpower to contact this race, if only to add another planet to our list of places to go in case of emergencies._

_My team and I had already been on three such missions before this one—with varying degrees of success—and I didn't see how this one would be any different, which is why no extra precautions were taken. In fact, in light of recent reports concerning my faltering enthusiasm from other Atlantis personnel (who shall remain nameless in this report), I feel it would be beneficial to point out that I had no objections to this trip. In fact, I welcomed the opportunity to make new friends._

- - -

"_Again_?"

"Yes, John, again. We need more people on our side. In order to get support, we need goodwill ambassadors to go out there and put a friendly face to our city." Elizabeth glanced pointedly around the table. "And, unless you're seeing things I'm not, it seems our supply of diplomats is still on back order. So that leaves everyone else to take up the call."

"We've got you," John pointed out.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "Exactly. Which is why I'm going on this mission."

John's mouth dropped open—he hadn't actually been _serious_—with a protest already being formed on his lips, but surprisingly, Lorne beat him to it.

"Ma'am, no offence meant or anything, but is that really the smartest idea?" Lorne asked, squaring his shoulders a little as her defiant gaze swung around to focus its unyielding power on him. "We don't know much about these…these…"

"Illese," Teyla supplied helpfully from across the table.

Lorne shot her a thankful grin as he continued. "These Illese may not have a bad reputation, but that doesn't mean they're neighborly. Maybe they kill their visitors before the poor suckers have a chance to escape the planet and spread the truth."

"What's your point, Major?"

"I think what Major Lorne is getting at," John interjected, feeling a need to reclaim his position of resident military expert, "is that the safety of this mission isn't set in stone. There's too many unknowns for me to authorize your presence on this trip."

"I'm not asking for your authorization. You forfeited that authorization when you lost out on that trade agreement with the Huana tribe last week."

"For the last damn time, that wasn't my fault!" John cried out in exasperation.

"Actually, it was," McKay piped up, pleasantly ignoring the sudden glare emanating from a certain Lieutenant Colonel. "If you hadn't stepped on their sacred beetle, we might have had a chance at getting a look at those Ancient ruins they had around their village. Who knows, we might have even found ourselves a fully functional ZPM."

The Canadian's sarcasm wasn't lost on the military commander, who bit his tongue before anything damning spilled out. He had enough problems already without having Rodney's murder on his hands, thanks all the same.

"Look, John, if you don't want to go on this mission, you don't have too," Elizabeth said in a deceptively sweet tone. "Major Lorne has proven more than once that he is fully capable of leading a mission like this. Maybe you'd like to stay back and help Ronon train the new recruits. He could probably use the extra help"

Training ten whiny rookies was the last thing John wanted to be doing with his time and—judging by the hint of the smirk on her lips—it was perfectly obvious that Elizabeth was aware of the fact.

He knew she was baiting him, just as he knew that fighting her was going to end up being a humiliating, fruitless battle. Besides, he couldn't let himself be shown up by good ol' reliable, Elizabeth-idolizing Lorne now, could he?

With a sigh, John looked to Dr. Weir, purposefully ignoring the knowing looks of the rest of the team. "I'm going."

"And so am I," Elizabeth said with absolute finality. "Now, let's go over proper greeting procedures one last time…"

- - -

_**Mission Directive: **__Enlistment of Allies_

_**Planet:**__ MX3 2Q9_

_**Report Submitted by**__: Dr. Rodney McKay_

_**Directed to:**__ General Hank Landry - Stargate Command_

Continued from Page 1 

_As far as the planet, MX3 2Q9, is concerned, my first impression was that it was yet another unremarkable Pegasus destination. The Stargate was located in the middle of a forest. Most of the plants appeared tropical in origin, and many of their trees looked suspiciously like a replica of Earth's palm trees. The other members of my team seemed to be engrossed in their study of the clearing, so I decided to use my computer to see if I could detect any signs of civilization. As I set my pack down, I noticed a strange structure off to the side of the clearing. As a man who has spent so many of his years dedicated to the study of engineering marvels, I was not as inclined to believe the structure to be of natural occurrence, as other, lesser knowledgeable people might be._

_As I approached the structure, I was able to see that it resembled a seat of some kind, seemingly made from a wood material. I was just about to begin running a scan on it when I saw something move out from behind a tree and duck behind a bush. I assumed it was only an animal, and continued on in my study of the alien bench. _

- - -

"Oh my god, what was that?"

Alerted by Rodney's startled yelp, the rest of the team hurried over to where the scientist was standing. His finger was pointed towards a large, fern-like bush; his face was pale and his eyes were riveted to the stationary foliage.

"It's a bush, McKay," John supplied with a roll of his eyes after a moment of scrutiny.

"I know _that_. It's what's behind the bush that worries me," Rodney retorted. "I swear I saw something run into it."

Teyla peered into the dense thicket of leaves. "I see nothing, Dr. McKay. Perhaps the light was playing tricks on your eyes."

Rodney returned her compassionate smile with a look of clear indignation. "I think I know the difference between flashes of light and moving creatures. No, no, something definitely went in there."

"Think we should check it out?" Lorne asked John with raised brows that belied his serious tone.

John eyed the bush for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. Probably just some Pegasus version of Bambi or something. Unless, of course, Dr. Weir feels it's in her _personal _authoritative interest to investigate the threat."

Elizabeth pursed her lips, crossed her arms over her chest, and leveled her eyes on John's. Rodney had seen her look like this only a few times in their acquaintance, but he knew exactly what it meant. Partly hoping to dodge out of the ensuing argument (in which he had total faith of Elizabeth's triumph), and partly to get away from the suspicious vegetation, Rodney beat a hasty retreat towards the Stargate.

A loud crack suddenly sounded out through the clearing, and the Canadian glanced down, not recalling any branches being in his path.

Before he even had a chance to get a good look at the purple-green grass at his feet, something pricked his shoulder—a prick something akin to a bug-bite—and in a matter of seconds, the unremarkable tropical world got a whole lot more interesting.

That's because it suddenly went black.

- - -

_**Mission Directive: **__Enlistment of Allies_

_**Planet:**__ MX3 2Q9_

_**Report Submitted by**__: Teyla Emmagen_

_**Directed to:**__ General Hank Landry - Stargate Command_

_Continued from Page 2_

_I did not get a good look at the people who shot us, though I did see many faces appearing from behind the bushes as the drug from the dart took its effect. From what I did see, it appeared that we had been surrounded and that many of our attackers were female. I cannot supply any more detail than that, for I soon passed out._

_It seemed only as if a few minutes passed by before I found myself waking up in a large room. Whoever had brought me to this room had gone to a great length to see to my comfort, for I was in a large bed, now dressed in a white garment and there was a tray of food and drink at my bedside. Having experienced some of the negative consequences of eating and drinking food from cultures I cannot yet trust, I did not touch the meal. _

_On a quick survey of the room, I discovered that none of my possessions—weapons, clothes, or rations—were with me. Just as I was ready to leave the room and seek some assistance in figuring out what had happened, a young woman, who later introduced herself as Shiri, entered and greeted me warmly. I asked after the team, but she offered no details except to say that my presence was requested in front of the high council, and to dress quickly._

_The selection of clothing Shiri offered was quite expansive, and I donned what I was told was a traditional Illese outfit to face the council. Thankfully, one other member of my team had also been given a similar request, and we met just outside of the council chamber doors._

- - -

"Teyla! Oh thank goodness it's you!"

"Elizabeth," Teyla breathed, a relieved smile gracing her features as she moved towards her friend's side. "You look well."

"I feel fine, despite having been shot with a pretty potent drug. How are you doing?"

"I am hungry, but otherwise, I feel no side effects of the drug." She glanced around the courtyard that Shiri had led her to and at the female sentinels standing on either side of the large wooden doors just in front of them. "I do not know what to make of this place. No one has displayed any hostility towards me since we were shot down outside of the Stargate, yet I still cannot feel comfortable here."

"I know what you mean. Something's off." Elizabeth shook her head, as if trying to shake off the odd feeling. "Have you seen the others?"

"No. And the young woman who came for me in my room would not answer any of my questions concerning our team." Teyla's brow furrowed as she thought back the girl's odd behaviour every time she had brought up her missing teammates. The girl had blushed at every mention of John, Rodney or Evan, and had not been able to meet her eyes until a moment or two of silence had passed. "Not only have I not seen our friends, but I have noticed that there are many women in this building."

Elizabeth frowned. "I've seen that too. Maybe this world doesn't believe in men and women living together quite as casually as we do."

It seemed like a viable theory, but still, Teyla couldn't quite buy into it. "Perhaps, though I fear that our friends may not have received the same hospitality that we have."

Elizabeth's answering comment was interrupted as the sentinels moved forward—answering to some unheard command—and pushed the wooden doors back, revealing a large, high-domed ceiling hanging over a circular room. At the back of the room sat five women, all of whom were dressed in expensive fabrics and adorned in glittering jewels. From this scene, Teyla came to the conclusion that they were now being presented to the high council that the servant girl had mentioned.

A dark-haired woman closer to the edge of the room gestured for them to enter. "Come forth, visitors, and identify yourselves."

Elizabeth went first, listing off her titles with admirable calm, and Teyla took the opportunity to take a quick survey of the room, noting, once again, that there wasn't a single male presence inhabiting the place.

Once Teyla had introduced herself, the council seemed to be most welcoming in their address to the two strangers, apologizing profusely for the unexpected dart attack.

"You see," began an older woman with long, gray hair, "we are not accustomed to having travelers arrive through the ring. We could not be sure if you were friend or foe, so we took what we believed to be the appropriate course of action."

"In your place, we would have done the same," Elizabeth conceded graciously, though Teyla wasn't so sure their Atlantean methods had ever included drug use. "But what of the Wraith? Are they not a problem here?"

The woman seated in the middle of the council shook her head, an almost secretive smile gracing her lips. "They do not arrive through this Stargate, as you call it, but they have visited. We have our…ways of dealing with them."

As much as she wanted to pursue that particular enigmatic statement, Teyla felt that there were more pressing matters at hand. "Would it be possible to know where the rest of our team is? We have many things we need to discuss with them."

The five council members stared at them blankly for a moment, before a blonde woman finally spoke up. "You mean the unmarked slaves that were with you in the garden? They are being processed for ownership of course, as any unmarked slave must be in order to remain on this planet."

There was a lapse in the conversation as the words sunk in. Elizabeth's eyebrows looked as if they were about ready to shoot into her hairline, and Teyla was sure a similar expression was on her own face.

"Slaves?" Elizabeth finally managed to squeak out.

"We are more than willing to let you bid for them," the blonde woman continued, seemingly unaware of the drastic change in attitude of the two visitors. "After all, you do have some claim as they did arrive with you. But traditions are upheld on this planet, and we cannot risk other slaves seeing yours without the proper markings. We have spent too many years preventing such freedoms from being known."

"Markings? What markings are we speaking of?" Teyla asked, finding her voice once more. "Are they permanent?"

"Of course." That was the woman in the middle of the council. "Otherwise, slaves would be removing them all of the time. But do not worry, your slaves will not be malformed from the collars. They will retain their pretty features."

Another quick glance was shared between Teyla and Elizabeth, this time one of urgency.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth stepped forward and tried her best not to display her fears (or her amusement at the whole situation in general). "Where can we find our me—slaves?"

"In the main courtyard. Our guards will guide you."

- - -

_**Mission Directive: **__Enlistment of Allies_

_**Planet:**__ MX3 2Q9_

_**Report Submitted by**__: Major Evan Lorne_

_**Directed to:**__ General Hank Landry - Stargate Command_

_Continued from Page 3_

_The cells were pretty comfortable, despite the fact that they were cells. The floors weren't dirty, and the bed was actually kind of soft—if you could think of reeds as soft. But after some of the prisons that I have had the misfortune of being thrown into, this place was almost as good as a room. If you didn't mind the bars, of course._

_Dr. McKay was in the cell across from me, and didn't wake up until at least an hour after I did. Colonel Sheppard was on my right, and had apparently been up and about presumably long before I opened my eyes. Other than the three of us, there didn't seem to be anyone else in the prison, and even my attempts at contacting anyone else that might be around didn't seem to attract any new friends. Of course, never count your chickens before you hatch, as I learned pretty soon after._

_Two female guards came to Colonel Sheppard's door at least fifteen minutes after I had woken up. They weren't the talkative types—they seemed to be more of the take charge kind. They strutted into Colonel Sheppard's cell, subdued him before he had time to throw up his fists, and gagged him right before my eyes. They also slapped something around his neck, though I couldn't really tell what it was; the two women had crowded around him and blocked my view. _

_I was getting ready to face similar treatment myself when I noticed two familiar faces coming down the hallway. _

- - -

"Major Lorne? Is that you?"

"In the flesh," the young Major quipped, leaning through the bars as best he could to greet the familiar friendly faces. "Nice to see you two avoided the jailhouse treatment. Though, I must say, you both look pretty good. I'm sensing some favoritism on our new hosts' part."

Elizabeth ignored his finely placed compliment and got to the point. "Where's John and Rodney?"

"Dr. McKay is napping the day away in that cell over there," he said, pointing to the blanket pile that the women could only assume hid Rodney. "And John just got abducted by an Amazon tribe. Surprisingly, he didn't go very willingly."

Elizabeth and Teyla shared a glance, ignoring his joke. "Did you see if they put anything on him? Some sort of necklace perhaps?" Teyla asked him.

Lorne raised an eyebrow. "Actually yes, they did. Looked like a fancy dog collar or something. I take it you two know what's going on here."

"In a manner of speaking," Elizabeth sighed, then straightened her shoulders. "Teyla, you stay here with Major Lorne and Rodney. I'm going to find my way to the courtyard and see if I can save Colonel Sheppard from his fate."

With that, Elizabeth swept out of the room, her long skirts trailing after her. Lorne watched her disappear around a corner, then turned back to Teyla. "So, do you mind enlightening little old me as to what's going to happen to us?"

Teyla's smirk put him off guard. The Athosian woman hardly ever showed any signs of cynicism. Whatever it was that had happened, it obviously wasn't very dire, or else he'd assume (and hope) that she would look a little more worried.

"It seems we have arrived on a planet where women are considered superior, and men are lowered to the ranks of slavery. This must be a recent change though, for I never heard of anything about this practice beforehand."

"It's either a recent change or else I was right and all of the happy little explorers who arrive here either end up as slaves or as prisoners," Lorne pointed out. "So I take it Colonel Sheppard is about to become a slave then?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, with the collar, he is already a slave. Now he is about to be sold to the highest female bidder."

- - -

_**Mission Directive: **__Enlistment of Allies_

_**Planet:**__ MX3 2Q9_

_**Report Submitted by**__: Dr. Elizabeth Weir_

_**Directed to:**__ General Hank Landry - Stargate Command_

_Continued from page 6_

_A few of the palace guards were kind enough to show me to the courtyard where the slave auction was being held. I arrived just in time to see John Sheppard being led onto the platform. I waved to him in an attempt to gain his attention and that of his captors, but this gesture was taken as an opening—if enthusiastic—bid. I ended up in a bidding war for the Lieutenant Colonel and had to make a fairly substantial offer to dissuade the other hopeful candidates. Since I did not possess the currency of the planet, I had to make the payment in the form of medicine as well as part with a few of the treasures I have collected over the years from various other planets. _

_After I purchased the Lieutenant Colonel, we both went back to the prison to free Major Lorne and Dr. McKay. Since they had not been officially branded as slaves yet—which was designated by the gold collar—it was much easier to negotiate their release, and the price we had to pay for them consisted of several common plant species to the planet where Atlantis is located (see the last page of this report for a full list of what was traded). Once the men had been released, I sent Teyla, Dr. McKay and Major Lorne back through the Stargate to report to Dr. Beckett for medical treatment, and also to let Teyla procure the items needed to make the purchase of the men official._

_Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard and I remained on the planet while Teyla gathered the items, and I was allowed to ask as to the history of the Illese. They told me that there had been a _coup_ fifty or so years back by the women of the planet, and to ensure that they retained their reign, they felt it was necessary to enslave every man on the planet. They assured me that most men are happy to be in their service, particularly those who are needed for pleasure and procreation, and those who are not happy are simply relegated to more menial tasks. After hearing this, I assumed that they sacrificed the men to the Wraith, but I was assured that the Wraith only received victims through volunteers. Apparently, the current religious organization on the planet recruits young women to their cause as sacrifices. The council explained that men are needed for re-population, and because so many of them were lost in the coup, men are considered quite the commodity. As for the lack of use of the Stargate, their explanation was that before the coup, only men were allowed to use it. When the women came into reign, they decommissioned the Stargate in an act of defiance and chose their superior spaceships as sole transport. Why they had never fully disabled the Stargate remains a mystery._

_Though wary of visitors—for apparent reasons—they were quite welcoming to Teyla and I, and they were pleased with the items we used to pay for the men. I have been told any women wishing to visit from Atlantis are allowed to do so, but I feel due to their questionable treatment of men that it would be best to keep minimal contact with the Illese. Never the less, we will continue to maintain diplomatic relations with them through an entirely female team that will be personally led by Teyla. _

_Thus my report on our mission to MX3 2Q9 is concluded and the questionable circumstances have been illuminated as to how I became the official owner of one Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard._

- - -

The panel of SGC directors stared down at the two personnel sitting before them. One or two blinked, and a third simply frowned and kept flipping through the reports. General Landry was shaking his head, though a smile was clearly evident on his face.

Elizabeth sat a little straighter in her chair and sent John a glare to do the same. Even though he maintained his sulky expression, he did follow her lead. The eerie silence lingered for a moment longer, before the director who had been reading through the reports looked up. "Your report is quite clear, Dr. Weir, on the circumstances of this particular mission. Therefore, I must ask as to why you felt it necessary to come to the SGC so soon after the mission in question."

"Because I felt it would be better if I were on hand to answer any questions you may have. Also, I thought it would be best to come in person before rumors of my new living arrangements reached your office and you formed the wrong opinion of them."

"I must confess, Dr. Weir, that I can't seem to understand the scientific gibberish that Dr. McKay has included in his report on the device." That was another man, an older director with graying hair and beady eyes that peered through his large glasses. "Would you care to enlighten us as to why you and Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard need to…co-habitate?"

John snorted and muttered something under his breath. Elizabeth kicked him hard in the shin as she faced the panel with smiling innocence. "As purchaser of Colonel Sheppard, they honed the device onto this bracelet that I have around my wrist and, which, like the collar the Colonel is wearing, seems to have no apparent release mechanism. The device that Colonel Sheppard was outfitted with is what is known as a training collar. It teaches younger men the consequences of either disobeying or straying too far from their mistresses. If Colonel Sheppard is no more than five feet away from me, he will receive an unpleasant shock. If he is more than ten feet away, it escalates into a painful jab, and so forth. We had no choice but to move in together until the device is removed."

"And when is it estimated that this device will be ready to be disposed of?"

"Your scientific team here is better equipped to answer that question. Dr. McKay was able to get only a small look into the device before we had to leave."

The panel glanced at each other, each waiting to see if the others had a question. Elizabeth took note of the baffled expressions on each of their faces—save for General Landry's ever increasing grin—and bit back a smile.

Finally, the last panel member sat back and General Landry looked to her and John. "Thank you for your thorough reports. If our scientific team can't come up with a reasonable solution to this problem in the next few days, then you can return to Atlantis where we are all certain that your scientists can solve the problem. Until then, you two are to stay here in the SGC."

"Understood, sir," Elizabeth said with a nod and took that as their cue to leave.

As soon as the door shut behind them, John looked over at her. "There is no way in hell you're leaving me to Rodney if we have to go back to Atlantis. He giggled like a girl for an hour the first time round."

"I'm sure the team here at the SGC will be perfectly able to solve the problem, John. Just give it some time."

"And did you hear that one guy? '_Co-habitate'_? Sheesh, you'd think men and women never lived together or something."

"Not in the military they don't," Elizabeth pointed out. "And he was only being politically correct. It's not as if we're married or in a relationship."

"Nope, nothing like that. We just happen to be sharing a bed," John said with a smirk.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "That's only because we can't fit a couch in my bedroom. And neither your quarters nor your bed are big enough for two people. If things could be different, John, then rest assured that they would be."

His smirk widened. "What? You don't like sharing a bed with your second-in-command?"

"Not when he snores. _And_ when he hogs the bed _and_ steals my blanket _and_ lets me freeze." They turned down the hallway and stopped at the door of their quarters. Elizabeth fished around in her pockets for the key.

"I'll have you know you're not exactly the perfect bed-partner either. You talk in your sleep, you cling to anything you can grab, _and_," he declared, "you flail."

"I flail?"

"Uh huh. Just last night I thought you'd broken my nose."

She studied his nose for a second, then her eyes widened. "It does look a little swollen." Much to his chagrin, she suddenly smiled. "Well, I'm sure you deserved it." She finally found the key, and unlocked the door and they both wandered into the bleak, concrete quarters.

John immediately flopped down on to the bed as Elizabeth tossed her briefcase onto the nearest chair and proceeded to remove her rather painful shoes. "I would also like to point out," she continued, "that I do not 'cling' to things. And if I do happen to want to hug something, I usually choose a pillow and not the nearest man I can grab."

She glanced over and noticed John was grinning again. "Not last night you didn't. Or the night before that, or the night before that." She blushed even as she looked about ready to throw the lethal shoe at him, but he couldn't help but continue. "Not that I mind or anything."

Elizabeth brandished the shoe for a moment longer then decided the effort wasn't worth it and let it drop—but not before blasting him with a fiery glare that would have fried a weaker man. John merely settled deeper into the pillows, though his grin did waiver for a moment.

The leader of Atlantis sighed, then seemed to give up on her quest to kill him and instead flopped down next to him on the bed. "You're just lucky I didn't mention anything about the fact that they slapped a pleasure slave collar on you," Elizabeth muttered. "If they knew the things I could technically make you do, I doubt they'd be so willing to let us 'co-habitate'."

"I think I've suffered enough humiliation, thanks all the same," John retorted. He rolled over onto his side, and looked into her eyes. "So what now?"

"I need a nap and for once, I'm actually going to take one," Elizabeth stated, dragging her jacket off of her weary shoulders and tossing it onto the floor. "You can amuse yourself."

"Are you sure you don't want your humble slave here to amuse you too?" He asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Her answer was a pillow thwacked directly into his face.

"Ow, that hurt. I think you really did break my nose this time."

"You know, if you keep up like this, maybe I'll see about keeping that collar around," she warned him. "It might come in handy."

"Then I'll keep that breezy little red get-up those Illese had you wearing. Who knows, it might come in handy," he echoed, following it up with yet another suggestive wiggle.

Elizabeth wasn't sure if she should laugh or throttle him. She decided to take the middle ground and flipped onto her side, her back to him, and closed her eyes. There was a moment of silence and she could practically hear the gears creaking in his head as he came up with some new smart aleck-y comment. But he must have realized that it was a bad idea, because she heard him sigh then felt the bed move as he shifted around to get comfortable too.

With a relieved sigh, Elizabeth buried deeper into the starchy pillows and willed sleep to come. She was just beginning to drift off when the sound of snoring began to reverberate through the room.

She kicked him, but that only seemed to make him snore louder. Groaning, she slapped her hands over her ears. If only the women that lusted after her admittedly attractive second-in-command knew what he really was like at night, then they might not have been so willing to join him there.

That was it. As soon as she woke up, she was going to drag John to go get outfitted with some sort of anti-snoring device. Then she was going to insist the scientists speed up their study of the problematic devices. And _then_ she was going to request a bigger room with a bigger bed than the tiny little double one they had been given. Five feet may not have been a lot of space, but it was space she was beginning to need.

Satisfied with this decision, Elizabeth grabbed a pillow from under her head and hugged it close. And she fell asleep before she realized she had turned over and had ditched the same pillow in favour of John's warmer torso. She also happened to miss the satisfied smile on John's face as he pulled her closer, before he too finally drifted off to sleep.

- - -

_End_


End file.
